I don't have gas, but I have had very good experiences with GE cooking products in general...so good that when I remodeled I went with them again...GE Profile. In particular, my electric smoothtop range w/convection oven from the old kitchen (purchased in 1995) was in such pristine condition that when we donated it to our church for a family in need, they couldn't believe it wasn't new! We had no problems with it in the 13 years we used it...and I loved the convection oven! Originally, I was going to get the GE Profile range w/warming drawer for the remodel but when we found room for wall ovens I switched to a GE Profile electric cooktop & GE Profile Trivection Double Ovens...the cooktop is basic & works fine, but I absolutely love the ovens, especially the upper Trivection (speedcook) oven! (We also got a GE Profile Warming Drawer...a basic model, nothing fancy and it's been great as well!) As to whether you'll use the WD, you may be surprised how often you use it once you have it!

I have cooked on standard and pro-style gas, electric coil, electric smooth top and now induction. This, over a 50-plus year span as an adult, and I'm a good cook. I personally feel that when cooking, one should generally pick up a pan, and not schlep it around on the range. To move food around in the pan, use a utensil, not scraping and shaking the pan on the cooking surface (TV cooks looking cool doing such, plus flipping food, etc. notwithstanding). With minimal care, your induction cooking surface will remain looking good! I clean up with Dawn on a cloth or sponge, rinse using same, and dry with a microfiber cloth. This takes care of food spills, water marks and grease splatters. Special cleaners not required... my experience.

I've been there, done that with new ovens from several different brands over the years. They all smell, it's due to residual oil from the factory burning off. From my experience, I actually would NOT recommend running the self clean cycle to burn off the initial smell, especially with no ventilation. Yes, it will burn off quicker this way, but there will be a good deal of smoke and a really nasty burning/chemical smell that will make the kitchen and the rooms surrounding it unusable. I'd rather just use the oven normally and let the milder version of the smell burn off on its own, even if it takes a little longer.

I have a Bosch dual fuel range (slide in) that is about 1" away from the wall/backsplash. I have never noticed it sticking out until I read this and then went to look, lol. It does, but if I've never noticed it, it doesn't bother me. The range itself is about 2 1/2" out from the base cabinetry. But I know what you mean if you want the 24" deep Thermador look. Personally, I would invest in an integrated refrigerator, using money saved from the Thermador and/or GE. The refrigerator is a much larger appliance and it's "sticking out" is more obvious than the counter height range. ("Counter depth" refrigerators also stick out; only fully integrated are flush.) I have 18" between the range and the next full height bank of cabinetry which includes a flush Thermador microwave/convection oven. The cabinetry sticks out 1" from the countertop and 2" from the 18" base cabinet farther than it should, a custom construction error I don't want to talk about. But that would be about the same as the space between your refrigerator and range if both "stick out." That 18" is good enough for my small Keurig and that's about it. It also has wall cabinetry above it because I used a hidden Zephry Pisa undercabinet range hood, so I don't have the "open" look you'll get from your range hood. That 18" of usable space is the same, however. We don't cook much at all (I hate it). I've had a Thermador dual fuel range and now this Bosch. Years ago, when I did have to cook, I had GE Monogram wall ovens and glass cooktop. Other than much preferring the gas, I can't think of major differences between all of them, or being unhappy with any of them.